Purple asparagus

Family: LiliaceaeGenus: AsparagusSpecies: A. officinalis var. purple

Description

Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Liliaceae family that can produce for up to 15 years.Native to south east Asia, asparagus is currently grown and eaten all over the world.Growing it takes a lot of work: it occupies a large area of ground for a long time and the first harvest can only be carried out 3 years after planting. For these reasons it is not recommended for planting in pots.It prefers loose soil but can adapt to heavier ground, it’s hardy to cold weather and tolerates drought but does not like to get waterlogged.Asparagus is a dioecious plant, there are male and female plants with different reproductive structures.The plants flower during the first months of summer, the flowers are greenish white and those on the male plants are larger than those on the female plants. They are pollinated by insects and produce small, bright red berries.The plant’s root system is composed of fleshy cylindrical roots and rhizomes. Rhizomes are roots that grow horizontally and store nutrient substances in order to generate new stems. The roots and rhizomes together are known as a “crown”. The best way to begin growing an asparagus bed is by planting crowns.The edible part of the plant, technically called a “turion”, is commonly known as a “spear” and is simply a shoot that sprouts in spring, if it isn’t harvested it grows and develops into a stem.The turions grow underground without sunlight; they are white and cylindrical, with a slightly pointed purple coloured tip.Purple asparagus is particularly prized in cookery, it is eaten cooked on its own or used as an ingredient in more complex dishes.